Breastfeeding May Protect Women from Metabolic Syndrome

Filed in archive Baby's First Year on December 10, 2009

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A new study found breastfeeding may lower your risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes in women, by up to 86 percent, especially for women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Some highlights:
• This is the first study to measure all components of Metabolic Syndrome before pregnancy and after weaning in women of childbearing age
• Metabolic Syndrome, which affects up to 37 percent of U.S. women between ages 20-59, is a clustering of risk factors related to obesity and metabolism that may predict future diabetes and heart disease during midlife and early death for women
• Another recent Kaiser Permanente study found that women with gestational diabetes are 2.5 times more likely to develop Metabolic Syndrome after pregnancy

Another proof that breastfeeding is not just best for your baby, but also for you!